Christmas Elf Mission
by Eryessa
Summary: AU: Joelle Reigns wants 1 thing for Christmas, for her Dad Roman to be happy, since he had dove into his chain of gyms more so since her Mom died. So she asks Santa for help, and that's where Holly the Christmas Elf comes in. She needs to bring joy back to Roman's life, but the #1 rule is not to get emotionally attached to the family. Holly does just that. Uh Oh! What Now?
1. Chapter 1

"Daddy," a sweet and small little voice brought Roman Reigns out of yet another painful memory of a life long gone now.

It was startling to see how much Joelle looked like her mother Gina. Gina Reigns, Roman's former wife. It was enough to bring up the ache in his chest again.

"Daddy," she tugged on his hand again. "Come on, Nanna says it's time for the Thanksgiving Dinner."

For a moment Roman hadn't realized that with her hair in those pigtails and where that red and white dress, Joelle really did look like a younger version of Gina. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes, she looked at his gray eyes and the small smile she had on her mouth was enough to make him look away. What he was looking at was the one picture still left out for everyone to see. It was the last remaining picture of Gina with Roman and Joelle.

"Daddy, Momma wouldn't want you to be sad." She said reaching up to pull down the hand that was holding the silver framed picture. "See, she's happy. She's happy in Heaven now, Daddy."

"Yeah, I'm sure she is." He said and then put the picture back up on the mantle. "Come on, Princess, let's go see what sorts of goodies Nanna has made."

He did not see Joelle watch him leave. In fact his mind was on other things, other things that had been gone for a time now. Things like the love of his life gone for good.

Joelle stood in the middle of her father's living room, hands grasping at the velvety red color of her dress. Her face was flush, a small blush forming across her cheeks as she tried not to cry.

"It's not fair." She said looking up at the picture of her mother. "Momma, it's just not fair. I miss you, too, but I don't act like Daddy."

Her mother's face was in a permanent smile, hugging Roman around the shoulders with her hair up in a long black ponytail while she wore a bright red bikini since they were out at the beach together. That was shortly before she had gotten sick.

Shaking her head, Joelle headed for the kitchen where one of the two turkeys was coming out of the oven just in time for the other Samoan members.

"Nanna," Joelle said looking at her father's mother.

Her grandmother had blue eyes, much like Roman's. They were the kind of eyes that could make anyone happy again.

"Yes Babygirl. What do you need?"

"I want Daddy to be happy again."

"I want him to be happy too, but I don't really know what to do about it." Patricia Reigns rubbed at Joelle's cheek slightly.

"Neither do I. Do you think Santa might know?"

"Santa?" Patricia Reigns jerked her head back slightly at that thought. "You know maybe you're on to something, sweetie. But right now it is time for our Thanksgiving meal. Go on outside and find a spot to eat. I'm sure Cousin Dwayne has a spot at his table for your to sit."

"Okay." Joelle sighed and headed for the back door. "I'm going to sit with Daddy and Uncle Seth."

Patricia watched her youngest granddaughter leave the kitchen. Then she watched Joelle go and sit down at a picnic table where Roman and Roman's co-owner partner Seth Rollins were sitting. Uncle Seth welcomed Joelle but Roman was otherwise preoccupied with something going on with his phone to notice Joelle.

"Santa just might be the only person to help my son now." Patricia said before getting the last minute feast underway.

* * *

The Thanksgiving meal was over and people were starting to leave after the last of the pie was finished. Cousins and aunties and uncles started leaving in droves, mostly cousins had been there though. Since her home was the largest and could fit just about everyone in this large Samoan family, Joelle watched most of them leave. The next ones to leave were Cousins Jimmy and Jey Uso, with Jimmy's kids and his new wife Naomi.

"How are you doing, kid?" Cousin Dwayne Johnson asked when he came into the front room with his daughter Simone.

"I guess okay. Just thinking." She turned her head and continued watching people get in their vehicles and drive away.

"Have you written your letter to Santa Claus yet? Maybe he can help you out." Simone suggested.

"I don't know." Joelle answered.

"You don't know?"

"I don't know if he'll answer what I want."

"What do you want?" Cousin Dwayne asked.

"I want my Daddy to be happy again."

Without much care, Joelle got up off the couch and walked towards the stairs where Joelle found her parents' room and went to sit on the large bed she had always liked so much.

The bed was black, but she remembered it being a light blue color when her Mommy had been around. Joelle ran her fingers across the black fabric, remembering later in her mother's sickness she would climb into bed with her and they'd read her princess books together.

"Joelle!" Roman called as he got upstairs. "Joelle, what are you doing in here? Nanna and Grandpa are about ready to leave."

Joelle fell back on her mother's side of the bed, arms stretched out wide and landed with a huff.

"Joelle?" Roman came forward and looked down at his daughter.

"Why aren't you happy, Daddy?" She asked.

"I'm happy, Princess. What makes you think otherwise?"

"Because you don't smile."

He sat down next to her. "Of course I smile."

Joelle looked away from him. She reached up and pulled her mother's pillow down and hugged it to her, not resisting the urge to inhale the sweet smell of the perfume she always seemed to have.

Joelle heard her father sigh. "All right, you can stay up here until bedtime. Then you have to take your bath and then get into bed." He patted her back and then stood up.

As he got to the door, Joelle spoke up. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Princess." And then he left.

This quietness gave Joelle time to think. It made her think about everything going on. What more could she do. Everyone kept saying she should talk to Santa about this, whatever this was.

Hugging her mother's pillow one more time, Joelle slid off the bed and headed across the hall to her room.

Her mom's old drawing table had been moved into the room, with all her papers and pencils and markers and stuff. In the middle drawer Joelle pulled out some nice white paper and she found a pretty purple pencil.

At first Joelle didn't know what to say, to write. She sat there on the drawing stool looking at that white piece of paper. She just couldn't put into words what she wanted from Santa. But she could tell him what she didn't want.

"Dear Santa," Joelle wrote. "This year I don't want anything for Christmas. This year will be two years since Mommy died and Daddy lost all his happiness. So, this year, all I want for Christmas is to see my Daddy happy again. And I want to be happy again."

Then she signed the very short letter with her name in a red pencil she found, folded the piece of paper up and left it on the drawing table so that she could get ready for bed.

Maybe, just maybe, Santa could help with this problem. After all it was the time of year for miracles.

* * *

 **Hi. Okay guys, I'm back. Honestly I had other things going on and I sort of lost interest in writing with the wrestling fandom for some reason or another. But I wanted to keep up with my tradition of writing holiday theme fiction during the month of December. And after watching Help for the Holidays, I decided that I was going to give this theme a go and this is the first thing that popped into my head. So I hope you liked it and I'll have more coming soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Holly was an elf in the Naughty and Nice Department at the North Pole. Her job was to check on the progress of all the naughty children in the Real World. Unlike times passed, she was working with a magical computer system that let her check in on children all over the world. It allowed her to see what they were doing, to see what each naughty thing that they did and the reason why they were put on the naughty list in the first place.

"Oh goodness, this is so daunting." She murmured rubbing her eyes and then looked to the ancient book behind her.

The one constant thing was the book that was resting on the pedestal in the middle of the Tower Room. After all, even with the banks of computers, the Book was the only thing that ever worked right, but using the computers was a little bit faster.

And Holly was getting a headache trying to watch the names on the naughty list get longer and longer each day.

Holly's friend Kristy would be starting her jewelry box painting job, she realized when glancing at the American clock on the wall. After all, it was the day after Thanksgiving and it meant that Christmas was fast approaching.

Outside the nearest window the usual snow fall was blowing against the frosted windowpane. Another storm was expected to hit that night and already the reindeer had narrowly missed getting their barn caved in.

"Holly," she turned around in her seat, letting her eyes adjust to the fact that she was nearly blind thanks to the computer screen.

One of Santa's right hand elves was standing at the door. Edgar, he was one of the oldest, but not as old as Barnaby, her supervisor. Edgar stood so rigid he almost looked like a tree.

"Yes?" She asked, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands.

"Santa wants to meet with you. He says it's important."

Standing up, Holly straightened out her holly and candy cane dress before following the older elf out of the Tower Room.

Down the stairs there were elves of all types doing the jobs she had wanted. Over the years, Holly found she missed her stuffed bear stuffing job. When the job for the Naughty and Nice department came open, she signed up for it. Now she was stuck with it.

There were all sorts of jobs Holly could have done. From Kristy's jewelry box painting job, stuffing stuffed animals toys, to making sure that the remote controlled cars were working right. Then there were the gift wrapping elves that seemed to be always singing. Several of them had started singing the moment Holly had gotten down into the main workshop area of the larger than life hall.

"What does Santa want with me?" Holly asked.

"Huh?" Edgar held a hand to his slightly floppy pointed ear. The noise in the workshop was louder than what Holly had remembered it. "What did you say?"

"I asked, what does Santa want with me?"

"I don't know, I think it is something important though."

Holly knew only a select few elves were ever asked to go see the man in charge. This just made her so much more tense than what she had anticipated. How could Santa really want to see her when he only ever really talked to either Edgar or Barnaby.

Santa's office was up on the second level of the workshop, he had a balcony that overlooked the launch site of where the sled took off. The other balcony was so that he could look in on the workshop.

It seemed like the music was starting to get louder. Other elves were running around with toys and packages, each with their own Christmas tune that just matched with the anticipation of the upcoming Christmas holiday. It was the anticipation that really got everyone into the mood for their busiest night of the year.

"Holly, come on in." She heard Santa through the door when she knocked on his large oak door.

At first she hesitated, then she turned the gold knob and opened the door. The room was old, ancient just like the Naughty and Nice book up in the spire. But unlike down in the workshop it was almost normal looking, whatever normal was to an elf. It did have lights and wreaths but not as much as down in the rest of the workshop.

Mrs. Claus was sitting down behind Santa's desk, but she was looking at some papers. It was Santa that caught her attention, since he was standing next to a window watching the snow coming down harder now.

"You wanted to see me, Santa?" Holly asked with her hand clasped in front of her. She couldn't help but fiddle with her right thumb nail and think that she had done something wrong with her job. "Did I do something unacceptable in the N&N Department?"

He turned his head to look at her. His long white beard shone in the twinkling of lights and he didn't wear he usual red suit with the white fur cuffs. No, he looked older than that image. He looked really older.

"You haven't done anything wrong, Holly. I assure you of that." He smiled, and like a lot of the stories said his eyes twinkled. "No, this is about a mission I'm sending you on."

"A mission, Santa?"

Mrs. Claus spoke up. "Yes, we're sending you to the Real World."

Real World, the world where humans lived. It was a place Holly only ever seen through a computer screen when she watched naughty children doing things like putting frogs in their teacher's desks. Or watching little boys cut the hair off their sisters' dolls. It was a place that Holly knew nothing about just the same.

"Why?"

"I have received word for Upstairs that they need someone to help a family."

"Upstairs?" Holly asked.

All Santa did was point to the ceiling, but there was a deeper meaning to that he didn't say out loud. But Holly knew what he was talking about.

"It seems there is an unrest in a family down in Florida that needs some Christmas joy this year." Mrs. Claus said as she stood up from the desk with her papers in hand. "And you were chosen to do this assignment."

"How could I be chosen?"

"Those type of things are best not to ask. There is plenty of magic in the world to understand in one setting." Santa said.

Mrs. Claus came towards Holly, the papers were held out to the young elf. "This is the family that you will be helping. Everything about them and their history is written down here for you. The family is the Reigns Family, but the two main people involved is a father and a daughter, Roman and Joelle. This is Joelle, the one whose wish is being fulfilled this year."

The picture that Holly saw was of a girl maybe eight years old who was in a picture with a man and a woman, a mix race but a still loving couple.

"That is Roman Reigns, he owns a very popular chain or gyms around Florida." Mrs. Claus pointed to the long haired, and obviously large framed man.

"Who is the woman, Joelle's mother?" Holly asked.

Mrs. Claus nodded. "She was, yes. Unfortunately, Gina Reigns' fate meant dying early. She had breast cancer."

"Oh, that is so sad."

"Roman has set up a request for a nanny to come live with him and his daughter at their large home so that he can take more time to be with his business. It's a live in thing, so you'll be living with them."

Santa walked over to the desk and pulled a parchment paper out of the top drawer. "And while you are there, you have to follow a set of rules that must never be broken, Holly. Otherwise, well you may never come back."

"Never come back? I don't think I want this assignment." Holly took a step back. "Maybe you should find someone else to do this."

"Having doubts?" Mrs. Claus asked.

"Yes, I mean, I don't know much about the Real World and from what I've seen it's a scary place."

"Maybe you shouldn't have worked on the naughty part of the naughty and nice department. We should have them switched up so they can see both the good and the not so good." Mrs. Claus looked at her husband.

All Santa did was nod.

"Come on, let me show you something." Mrs. Claus said and took Holly by the shoulder. "I'm going to show you the real magic of the Real World. Maybe you'll accept the mission."

Now Holly was more worried than she had before.

* * *

 **Yep, so far so good. How can Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus convince Holly that not everything is so bad in the Real World? Stay tuned, and lets see what happens.**


	3. Chapter 3

The sight of seeing Santa, Ms. Claus and Holly going up to the Spire was enough to stop work down in the workshop. Holly felt like she was being led to a life sentence with how quiet every elf had gotten.

Her hands were still clasped in front of her, the papers loosely hanging from her finger tips. Up the stairs they went, up to the Naughty and Nice department where Holly was sure she was never going to work again.

Barnaby was in the Spire waiting for the three of them with a few of the Nice List elves who were not working as hard as Holly had earlier.

"Barnaby, could you bring up the Secret List?" Santa asked.

Secret List, what was the Secret List? Of course Holly didn't voice this question as she watched her supervisor head over to the only other piece of furniture in the room. It was a cupboard and within it had a scroll of some sort that he had pulled out and handed over to Santa Claus.

"This is the List that always changes. The Naughty and Nice book does too but this is the List of Change, in which children either grow too old to believe in Santa or they are struggling to believe at all. Some years they believe in Santa or some years they don't." Santa said as he held the scroll out to her. "But it is the names at the bottom of the list that really are important. Look at the last one."

Holly looked at the name. "Adrian Thompson."

"Go look his name up in the database." Mrs. Claus instructed as she placed her hand on Holly's shoulder.

So Holly went over to her station and typed up the name, Adrian Thompson.

"He's a twelve year old boy out of Cincinnati Ohio." She said once she found him.

"Now watch what he's doing right now." Santa suggested.

She pulled up the magical screen in which the boy in question was sitting on his bed. Adrian was sitting with a tree topper that looked like Santa in his hands. He seemed to be thinking very hard about something, something that seemed important.

Just then Adrian's mother walked into the room and smiled at him. "Hey, that's where the tree topper went. Can you believe that it's twelve years old, we got it for your first Christmas." She said.

Adrian's pitch black hair was shaggy and it moved when he looked at his equally black haired mother. "I don't believe in Santa anymore, Mom. I know it's you and Dad that leave the Santa gifts down there."

There was a tightness in Holly's chest, one that she couldn't believe was possible to hear. Someone did not believe in Santa? How could that possibly be.

"We lost another one this year." Barnaby said, flipping through the pages of the book. "Adrian Thompson doesn't show up in the Book anymore."

Holly glanced at the List that Santa had given her. Sure enough, Adrian Thompson was not on the List.

"How can he not believe in you, Santa? It says here he's be a relatively good boy since his first year." Holly pointed to the screen.

But when she looked back at her computer the screen had gone black. A second later it had come up to the background image of the N&N Network logo.

"If you search his name again there will be no record." Mrs. Claus told her. "This is what we deal with year after year when children get too old to believe in Santa Claus."

"But what does any of this have to do with what you're asking me to do? I don't understand."

"The magic lies in the belief of Santa. If Joelle loses that belief now, the magic in her life will go out. To her, magic is happiness and she isn't getting any of that since her father hasn't been happy. The death of Gina Reigns broke the bond between the girl and her father."

"And I have to rekindle that happiness?"

"Yes, that's what you have to do." Mrs. Claus said. "Now do you know what you have to do?"

"Bring happiness back into Roman Reigns' life with the happiness he had. To do that, Joelle's belief in Santa will last longer."

"What happens if Joelle doesn't believe in Santa?"

"Then she won't be happy for a lot of her life. She'll be just as sad as her father."

* * *

Roman grabbed a beer out of the fridge and tossed it towards his best friend Dean Ambrose and his partner with his gym franchise Seth Rollins.

"I'm just too busy and I can't have my mother coming here all the time to watch Joelle when she gets home from school." Roman said as he leaned on the kitchen island.

"So what are you planning on doing then?" Seth asked, glancing at Dean.

Dean, the blond haired man with a need to shave his almost constant five o'clock shadow, swirled around his beer. "How about a Nanny?"

"I was thinking about that. Joelle has her church choir thing and I have to make sure the numbers are right for the next opening over in Fort Lauderdale. Sheamus will be handling the launch in Saint Augustine over the New Years."

Seth glanced at Dean. "And the Dive is starting to take off so you can't have Dean help."

"I love the kid, I'm just not a papa figure. Mine was crap, you know that, Seth."

Trying to find out a solution to his problem meant having to dredge up issues from his friends' pasts.

"I work just as hard as you, so I can't come in and check up on her like I would want to." Seth said as he leaned back in the high back bar seat.

"So the only thing that I can think of is get a nanny. Maybe even have her move in until I'm well passed the New Year rush. You know how weight crazy people get around the New Years." Roman said.

"How are you going to set this up?" Dean asked. "Craigslist?"

"Oh hell no, Man. That isn't going to happen anytime soon. I know I have to focus on Joelle and what she would like. It can't be a male for obvious reasons."

"So a woman, preferably old and crusty." Seth smirked.

Dean laughed and then said, "And blue haired. Don't forget blue haired."

Roman rolled his eyes while shoving some of his long black curly hair off over his shoulder. Scrubbing his face, Roman had to really think about it.

"No, the nanny has to be young. She has to be able to keep up with Joelle. You know how she gets some times. My mom said that she gets a hop in her step any time they go shopping together."

"What about decorating. You haven't really decorated since Gina, you know." Dean started.

"That was two years ago." Seth added. "Shouldn't you be moving on, man? Think about Joelle."

"I am thinking about my daughter." Roman nearly yelled at his two best friends. "This is why I'm doing it. She needs to be watched, she needs to be protected and I, I'm just too busy for anything."

Seth and Dean caught each other's eyes. Dean was in mid swig of his beer and Seth hadn't really touched his.

"So you need a Nanny. How are you going to do it, open an ad in the newspaper?"

"Who reads the newspaper anymore?" Dean asked, trying to lighten the mood but failing to do so.

Roman sighed. "It has to be done."

"Renee should be back with Joelle soon." Dean stated, glancing at his watch. "She said she wanted to take her to that bake sale thing going on at the station."

Seeing Dean dating someone for so long now, Roman wondered when he was finally going to settle down. Of course settling down was not an option with Dean, who liked wearing leather bomber jackets in the Florida heat. Anyone who had any emotion for the blond man had to deal with his unique personality. It had taken both Seth and Roman a while to understand this Cincinnati transplant.

"How is Renee Young doing?" Seth asked. "Is she still that sport's caster?"

"Yeah, she said she'll be reporting from the Super Bowl this year so I'm going." Dean gave his smug smirk that he was becoming quite famous for.

Even Roman could feel a little jealous of Dean. Being able to go to the Super Bowl was something that Roman had been wanting to do for the last couple of years but hadn't been able to. With Gina dying, with the way the gyms were working out and with taking care of Joelle on his own, Roman didn't have a lot of time to do much of anything.

"Well, hopefully this nanny business will work out." He mused aloud for his friends to hear. "After all, I'm going to need all the help that I can get at this time of year."

Soon, very soon, help was going to arrive on his doorstep and he was going to be surprised with how the world is going to turn upside down on him and his family.

* * *

 **I have been really busy lately but I'm trying to get this story worked out for you guys. I hope you enjoyed this installment. I'll be back later, I promise.**


	4. Chapter 4

Holly could not believe she was going through with this. She did not really think she could just leave the home that she always knew and just go down into the Real World where everything was not all happy and joyful.

"You're shaking, Holly." Kristy said as they were in their shared room getting everything ready for Holly to leave.

Her hands were shaking, Holly had to grab a dress that Mrs. Claus had put on her bed to pack in the magical suitcase. There was the magical change purse and the snow-globe.

"I am shaking and I don't know why." Holly said looking at her redhead elf friend.

"Do you think it has to do with going to the real world?"

"I think so. I mean, the other elves that have gone to the Real World haven't come back. Santa said that's because they didn't follow the rules."

"Rules, what rules?"

Holly dug out the list of rules that she had been given. "The rules are never tell anyone that I am an elf on a mission. Never will anyone see the magic that I perform to help my mission. And the last rule is the rule that I don't understand. I can't get attached to the family that I am trying to help."

Kristy oohed at what her friend had told her. "Those are hard rules to follow. How are you going to do it?"

"I don't know but I have to, or I will disappear like the others."

Holly put down the list of rules and picked up the magic purse that she had been given. There was nothing inside, that was in case someone had sneak a peak in there but Holly could work it just fine.

"I don't really know if I can do this, Kristy." Holly said, bunching her hair up into a long ponytail that would hide her ears. "I mean, why did I get handed this mission, this assignment to help a family I know nothing about. From what I heard, Joelle Reigns was always on the Nice List, I dealt with the Naughty."

"At least you know what a Naughty child does to get put on the List, I don't know what makes Naughty or Nice, I'm just a jewelry box designer."

That was true. At least Holly was going into this with a good set of rules that she could see the bad in people. She just hadn't been able to see much good in these people either. That was what worried her the most.

There was a knock on the door and in walked Mrs. Claus. "Are you almost ready, sweetie?"

"Yes, Mrs. Claus." Holly looked down at her packed stuff. "I think I am. What is going to happen?"

"Well, what's going to happen is you're going to meet Roman Reigns over at his Miami gym, where you will have your first meeting about his live in nanny job he put in the newspaper. Here's the resume you're going to be giving him."

Mrs. Claus handed over the necessary papers that Holly knew she was going to need. She even had a Real World identification, placing her name as Holly Anne Dekker and she's from Miami.

"What you're going to say is that your last apartment had put the rent up too high and you need a new place to stay. If he's as nice as I remember Roman Reigns to be then he will instantly want to help you in return."

Mrs. Claus tidied up Holly's hair a little, fixing some of the hair that had come out of place.

"You know you are going to look rather pale when you get down to Miami." She said.

"How am I getting down there. This is the North Pole, Florida is on the eastern side of the United States. And it doesn't snow there."

"You'll get used to it, Holly dear. Just remember everything we have told you. And don't forget to use the Snowglobe if you have to talk to either Santa or myself."

Holly took a deep breath as she zipped everything up in her suitcase and the purse and looked at Mrs. Claus.

"All right, I'm ready."

With a wave of her hands, Mrs. Claus made the elf now known as Holly Anne Dekker disappear.

* * *

"No, I'm telling you, there is no way this can happen, Wade." Roman said as he headed for the front door of the Miami based gym.

Seth was fielding questions about for a potential gym member so that much was good. Outside the gym, Roman was able to hear what the Englishman was saying.

"A flood? Really? What is going to happen to the Tampa branch now? No, not after New Years. I have been getting this set up before the New Years."

He did not see the woman who was carrying a large purse with a rolling suitcase coming towards him. Roman only noticed her when he went and tried to throw his damned cell phone at the ground. His large arm was raised and he found himself looking down into the most unusually light brown eyed woman.

For just a moment there was no words said, it seemed like all the blood went to his feet as he looked at the woman. She looked at him with a tilted head, plump pink lips puckered slightly as she took in his sweat pants and old tank top apparel.

"I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" She asked, glancing at his fist that was balled around his cell phone.

"Oh," Roman felt the heat rise to his face as he lowered his arm and then shoved his phone away in his pocket. "Oh, no. Just, some issues. Can I help you, ma'am?"

She had a red and green purse resting over her shoulder and her red painted nails glistened in the sunlight. He could see a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead as she looked up at him.

"I'm looking for Mr. Reigns because he put an ad in the newspaper for a live in Nanny."

"And it looks like you came prepared." He glanced down at her suitcase.

"Oh," she laughed lightly. "Oh no, I'm not, well that is to say that I don't have a place to live yet. The rent has been going up in my neighborhood that I had to move out. I'm, I'm living at a shelter."

Shelter, a nice looking lady like this woman was living in a shelter? That couldn't be right. That couldn't be…no.

"Well, I am who you are looking for. I'm Roman Reigns, the founder of The Heavyweight Gyms that are popping up all over in Florida. You probably heard of me and my cousin, Dwayne Johnson."

"Some, yes. You have a very nice empire going with a weightlifting gym and your cousin is a well known movie star. But you also need help raising your daughter, that's what the ad said." She opened her purse and rummaged through it.

She pulled out a clipping of the ad.

"I have had experience with children before. I worked for a toy store owner and I was always the one that greeted the children." The woman said.

"How about we stop for a second. I don't even know your name."

"Oh," he saw the rose color jump into her cheeks. "I am so sorry. I'm Holly Anne Dekker, but Holly works just fine for me."

"Holly, a nice name for this time of year. And you're looking to apply for the live in nanny job. Unfortunately I have others interested in the job. I want it to be perfect for my daughter Joelle."

"I see. So when can I meet her to see if I am a fit match to watch your daughter?"

"Later today, there are other nannies coming to meet with Joelle. Here, let me give you the address for my place and I'll meet you there." Roman dug into his pocket, pulled out a business card and wrote down his address and handed it to the woman. "Be there by four o'clock."

And then he smiled at her before heading back into the gym.

"Great, this wasn't how it was supposed to happen." Holly said looking at the card in her hand. "How am I going to get there?"

It looked like it was going to be a long walk for her, it would be a while before she could get to the house.

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the update and I will be back for more. I just have been really busy this month that I know I may not finish this by Christmas. Anyway, there is more to come so just hang in there.**


	5. Chapter 5

The house was huge, Holly realized. It had a gate around the entire place that made it look like a fortress. Holly also realized that there weren't any Christmas decorations up. There were no obvious signs of lights, or Christmas figures sitting out on the perfectly green lawn. The house itself was a gray blue color that looked more gray than blue.

"Ma'am." The taxi driver said, turning to look at her.

"Oh, yes, how much?" She asked digging into her money purse.

"Ten dollars."

"Ten dollars, I know…ah ha, here you are. Ten dollars. And a tip of two dollars for being so nice." She said handing him twelve dollars. "Have a nice day, sir."

"Do you need any help with your suitcase?"

"No, I have it. Thank you though."

She pulled the rolling suitcase out of the car and was just closing the door when a car pulled up to the gated out as well. From it a woman stuck her head out and pressed a buzzer on the gate.

"I'm here to apply for the nanny job." She said, pushing her sunglasses up her nose.

The woman was not nice, especially when she looked at Holly. Holly offered a small wave but the woman shook her head and then pulled back into the car and as the gate opened she drove in.

Holly was just getting to the gate when it closed on her. Pursing her lips slightly she looked at the intercom next to the gate and pressed the button.

"Yeah, who is it?" She heard Roman's voice nearly bark at her.

"This is Holly Dekker, we met earlier. I'm here for the Nanny job."

He didn't say anything else, but the buzzer went off again and the gate opened for her.

Holly took a deep breath and walked up the driveway with her rolling suitcase in tow. The woman in the nice red car was getting out when Holly approached.

"So you're here for the job too, huh? Are you sure you're not here to get into Roman's bed?" There was a venom in that woman's voice.

"That isn't why I'm here. I'm here to help a little girl."

The woman laughed. "We all want to be in Roman's bed. Why else have there been nearly twenty responses for his ad. And I, Summer Rae, will be getting the job."

Holly was really starting to get annoyed with this woman. Why was this a contest? Was Roman a really popular man with his gym? Was he really popular with women? That thought alone startled Holly.

Summer Rae walked up to the door and adjusted her short skirt. Holly looked down at her knee length dress she had been wearing since she got to the Real World. Conservative, that's what Mrs. Claus said. She had to look professional, she insisted that Holly be professional when speaking with Roman. Be nice to the family, be respectful and bring them happiness. But how was she going to be able to do that, Holly asked herself mentally as she walked towards the front door of the large house.

"Hi, Mr. Reigns, I'm here for the nanny job. I did come on time didn't I?" Summer Rae asked, then plastered a big smile on her face.

Holly stood at the bottom of the steps looking up at the man standing in the doorway. He took up most of the doorway itself. But then Holly saw a little girl standing next to him, a little girl with equally curly hair and instantly Holly knew that she was looking at Joelle Reigns, Roman's little girl.

"You're actually here early." He said, putting a hand on Joelle's shoulder. "You and Ms. Dekker."

"Yes, us." Summer Rae looked back at Holly as she slid her sunglasses off. "Since I was the first one here then I should be the first one interviewed, don't you think."

"It's only fair. Would you mind waiting out here on the front porch, Holly? There is a chair right there and you'll be out of the sun." Roman said.

"If that's what you want, I have no objection." She said.

Holly caught the little girl looking at her. Her big brown eyes were even bigger than before, her mouth opening slightly as if she was sure that Holly was an elf.

Were her ears showing? Reaching up, Holly felt that her hair was still covering up her elf ears. Holly was relieved that she still had her cover, maybe the little girl just seemed to like her for whatever reason.

Sitting on the porch chair, Holly pulled out a book she had picked up at a bookstore. Please Understand Me II, maybe that would be useful for her to understand real people in the Real World.

She had been sitting in that chair reading the book with glee at truly understanding human nature. Maybe there was a way to understand grief and to get help for Roman.

"Hi." She glanced up and saw a man with dark brown hair looking at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb your reading. I think I saw you earlier, talking to Roman."

"I don't think I know you." She replied.

"I'm Seth Rollins the co-owner, well co-founder of Heavyweight Gyms. I came by to talk to Roman about something concerning one of the branches."

Holly closed her book but kept it resting on her lap. "Well, Mr. Reigns asked me to stay out here while he talked to a woman named Summer Rae about the nanny job."

"Well that's rude." Seth crossed his arms, very big arms.

"What's rude?"

"Making you sit out here in the heat. Yes you're in the shade but come on, even in the winter it gets hot here." Seth said glancing down at her suitcase. "Why are you carrying that around."

"I don't have a place. My last apartment raised the rent too much and now I have nowhere else to live. I figured since I have worked for kids before then a nanny job might just be what I need."

"Well making you wait out here is stupid. Come on, lets go in."

"Are you sure? Mr. Reigns won't be mad?"

"No. Why would he? I'm being nice to a nice lady. That's more than what he's doing now."

Holly took a deep breath and followed that Seth Rollins man into the large house.

* * *

Roman was impressed with Summer Rae's schooling background. She was also at one point in time a substitute teacher at a local elementary school. But the one thing that he noticed was that Joelle didn't take to her.

Joelle sat on the couch playing with one of her princess dolls that she had held on to for dear life. It was the Cinderella doll that Gina had given Joelle soon before Gina had passed away. Joelle never even looked at Summer Rae, nor did she talk to the woman either.

Then Seth walked into the house with that woman Roman had met earlier.

"I can't believe you would leave this nice lady outside." Seth motioned to Holly as she stood next to him with her hands clasped in front of her, a book and a manila envelope secured in her grip. "Really, in this heat."

"She was fine, she was in the shade." Roman countered.

"Does she look like a dog to you?"

"Well maybe a little." Summer Rae mumbled.

Joelle stood up from the couch and walked over to Holly. "I like your necklace." She said.

Holly smiled as she pressed a hand over her chest. "It's a holly branch, which is my name. Holly Dekker, and you must be Joelle Reigns."

"Uh Huh. Do you like Princesses?"

"Oh, I grew up with tales of princes and princesses. I think my favorite is Beauty and the Beast."

"I love that one too. Momma got me this when we went to Disney World. She said I was her princess."

"You look like you could be a princess too. I like the ribbons in your hair." She reached out and tugged on one. "Did you do that yourself?"

"Uh huh. Daddy don't know how. Uncle Seth can do better but they like their hair in ponytails."

Roman stood up from the couch. "I'll see you out, Summer Rae."

"But…" She started to fuss as she stood up as well. "My interview isn't over yet."

"I'm afraid it is. Joelle has to come first. Her happiness is all that I want." Roman said.

The blond woman huffed and turned so quickly her hair nearly hit Roman in the face.

Seth was smiling like an idiot when Roman looked at him. He was also watching Joelle and Holly together, arms crossed and a stupid grin on his face.

After seeing Summer Rae out, Roman came back to talk to Holly. Holly and Joelle were now sitting on the couch and Joelle was taking over the conversation.

"Do you cook?" She asked.

"I do cook, but I can't bake." Holly answered.

"That's okay, Daddy can bake but he can't cook. Uncle Dean can't cook or bake."

"Hmm, well if you help out I don't think there is an issue with you being in the kitchen."

"I like to cook. Do you go to church because I have choir."

"I don't have an issue with that."

"Are you just saying that to be nice?"

"No. It's good to believe in something, right? There's always some magic in believing in something. Don't you think?"

"Sure, I guess. I'm singing in the choir. But…"

"But? Is there something wrong, sweetheart?" Holly asked, lightly touching Joelle's knee.

"Never mind." She sighed as she hugged her princess doll closer. "Do you believe in Santa?"

"Of course I do? Why wouldn't I?"

"Because you're an adult and adults don't believe."

"Then let me tell you something. Remember, to believe in something is magical, right? Well with all my heart I do believe in Santa Claus. The question is, do you?"

"Maybe, I don't know."

Holly looked up when Roman walked over to them. "Joelle, honey, I want you to know that I just want you safe and happy, okay. Holly seems like a nice woman who can take care of you, right?" He asked as he knelt in front of his daughter.

"I guess, but…"

"Then I think we should show her to her room, right?" He asked.

"I guess. Yes, we should. Come on, Holly. I'll show you to your room."

"Don't you want to look at my references and contact information?" Holly asked, looking over at Roman.

"I don't think we have to worry about that seeing as how good Joelle has taken to you. You seem like the right kind of woman I would like to watch over my daughter." Roman slowly stood up, looking at Holly who seemed confused as it were. "How about you give me everything and we'll see how one night and one day works out for you. That'll give me enough time to look over your resume and your references and see from there."

Finally she smiled. "Okay, that's sounds good to me."

"I'll get your suitcase." Seth chirped up as he nearly ran for Holly's rolling suitcase that was placed next to the door.

Roman glared at his friend and co-owner partner. Seth really did seem interested in this woman. She smiled at him and then Joelle showed Holly up the stairs as Seth followed them like a lost puppy.

Just then Roman's cell phone went off and he answered it on the third ring. "Yeah, this is Reigns. What! Wade!"

* * *

 **Well there you go for now. I hope you liked this update. I'll be back for another update soon.**


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